Pipe-drifting machine.



Patented. De... 7, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET\ F. E. HENDERSON.

PPEDHIFTING MACHINE. APPLICATION msn lum/21.1915.

@2% www F. E. HENUERSON.

PIPE DRIFTING MACHINE.

APPucATloN man luLvzl. 1915` Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2 INVENTQR WITNESSES INVNTOR Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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FREDERICK E. HENDERSON, OF LORAIN, OHIO, ASSIGKNOR TO NATIONAL TUBECOMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

PIPE-DRIFTING MACHINE.

Application filed July 27, 1915.

T o all whom lt may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. HEN-DnusoN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lorain, in thecounty of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pipe- Drifting Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My inventionrelates 'to apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes, and moreparticularly relates to the mechanically operated mechanism used inactuating the drifting bar of the pipedrifting machine.

In the manufacture of wrought metal pipes and tubes it is the practiceto pass a drifting ball or mandrel through each welded pipe, eitherbefore or after being threaded and having the usual coupling appliedthereto in order to test or gage the internal diameter of the pipe andto remove any projecting lumps of scale or other obstructions adheringto the inner surface of the pipe. This operation has heretofore beenperformed manually, and when done in this way is slow, laborious andexpensive. rll`he size of the larger pipes and tubes increases thediiiiculties and cost of the drifting operation.

One object of my invention is to provide apparatus for mechanicallyactuating a pipe drifting bar provided with a drifting mandrel or ballon its end, in passing the mandrel or ball through the pipes, andadapted for use in passing the mandrel through the pipes or tubes, whilethe coupling customarily supplied with each length of pipe, is beingscrewed on one end of the threaded pipe.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pipe drifting mechanismhaving novel means whereby the movement of the mechanically actuatedmandrel bar is regulated and controlled and is stopped at predeterminedintervals.

A still further object of my invention consists in the provision of thenovel combination and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, to bemore fully described hereinafter and to be specifically pointed out inthe appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan showing one arrangement of apparatus for drifting pipes asconstructed and arranged Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Serial No. 42,172.

1n accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sideelevation, on a larger scale and partly in section. of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a continuation of the side elevation shown inFig. 2, the two sections being joined on the lines X-X in illustrating acomplete longitudin al side elevation. Fig. 4 is a side elevation on alarger scale of the mechanism used in mechanically actuating the mandrelbar forming part of my improved pipe drifting mechanism. Fig. 5 is anend elevation of the mandrel actuating mechanism shown in Fig. 3 andforming part of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the accompanying drawings the numerals 2 and 3 designate skidsforming a bed or support 4 on which the pipes or tubes are supported andare moved into and out of position to be operated upon by the driftingmachine. At one side of the skid 3 is a coupling screwing machine 5 bywhich the couplings are applied to one end of the threaded pipes, itbeing the practice to furnish a coupling on one end of each section ofthreaded pipes.

Between the skids 2 and 3 is a series of rollers 6 on which the pipesare moved lengthwise in bringing the threaded pipes into position tohave a coupling applied thereon.

Located on one side of the bed 4 formed by the skids 2 and 8 in linewith the rollers 6, is the pipe drifting apparatus forming my invention,this apparat-us being positioned so as to hold the pipe drifting mandrelso as to extend lengthwise substantially in alinement with the barrel orspindle 14 of the coupling screwing machine 5 which is on the oppositeside of the bed 4. By arranging the drifting apparatus and couplingapplying mechanism in this way it enables the pipe drifting operationsand the coupling applying operations being carcied out coincidently.

My improved pipe drifting apparatus, as will be best seen from Figs. 4and 5, comprises a horizontal mandrel bar 15 having a ball or plug 16detachably secured on one end thereof. The mandrel ball or plug 16 isdetachably secured on the mandrel bar so different sizes can be appliedto the mandrel bar for use in drifting different sizes of the variety ofsizes of pipes made.

The mandrel bar 15 extends horizontally between the pass formed by themandrel bar actuating rollers 17 and 18, (as will be seen by referenceto Fig. 5), these rollers having peripheral grooves 19 therein withopposite inclined faces 20, 20, which enable the mandrel bars of variousdiameters to be frictionally engaged and actuated by the rollers. Therollers 17 and 18 are mounted in bearings 21, 22,.which are adjustablysecured at their lower ends to a base plate 25. A cap plate 26 fastenedto the top or upper end of the housings closes the housingl windows andalso serves as a support for the adjusting screw 27 by which the toproller 17 and 1its bearings 21, 21, are raised and lowered and held inadjusted position in the windows 23 of the housings.

The bottom bearings 22, 22, for the lower roller 18 rest on the bottomof the housing Windows, and the top roll bearings are yieldinglysupported upon the top of the bottom bearings 22 by means of helicalsprings 28. Helical springs 29 are used to connect the top roll bearings21, 21, to the rider 30 which is suspended from the lower end of thethreaded adjusting screw 14 and this screw is rotatably mounted in thehousing cap plate 26. The rider 30 extends across the top of the roller17 into and through the Windows 23 of the housings and the lower face'ofthe rider has recesses 32 therein to receive the upper end of the coilsprings 29. The top bearings 21 and bottom bearings 22 and the rider 30are all vertically adjustable within the housing windows 23 as will bereadily understood by reference to Figs. 4 and 5).

One end of the bottom roller 18 is provided With a spur gear 33 whichmeshes with a spur gear 34 on the countershaft 35 which is mounted inbearings 35a on the electric driving motor 36, and the spur gear 37 onone end of the count-ershaft 35 is in mesh with the pinion 38 on thearmature shaft 39 of the driving motor 36. The driving Inotor isadjustably secured in operative position on the extension of the housingbase plate 40.

Positioned on the sides of the housings 24 are bracket bearings 41, 41,and rotatably mounted in these bearings is a shaft 42 having ananti-friction roller 43 thereon which engages with the mandrel bar 15 toprevent the plug or ball end of the mandrel bar from tipping upwardlywhen the bar is in its retracted position, (or that shown in Figs. 2 and3).

The bracket bearings 41 are adjustably fastened to the sides of thehousings, and set screws 44 are employed to adjust and hold the bracketbearings 41 in adjusted position on 'the housings 24.

In the operation of my improved apparatus, a mandrel bar 15 having aball or plug 16 of the required size on the end thereof is positionedbetween the rollers 17, 18, of the drifting apparatus, as is shown inthe drawings, with the'plug end thereof adjacentto one end of a pipe 45in coupling applying position on the coupling applying machine. Thecoupling applying machine is started, the pipe and coupling then grippedand thel coupling screwed on the threaded end of the pipe 45. Themovement of the gripper arms is used to operate a switch which startsthe electric motor 36 and the motor, through reducing gearing connectingthe bottom roller 18 of the drifting machine positively rotates thisroller. The hand wheel 46 having been previously adjusted so as tocompress the springs 28 between the bearings 17 and 18. and springs 29between the top bearings 17 and rider 30, the mandrel bar 15 which isnow gripped between the inclined faces 20 .of the friction rollers 17and 18 is moved lengthwise when the motor 36 is started. The plug 16 onthe end of the mandrel bar 15 enters and passes through the pipe 45 towhich the coupling is being applied and thereby removes any obstructionson the interior of the pipe which are removable, and, by its passage.through the pipe indicates that there are no projections orobstructions within such pipe which prevent passage of the ball or plug16 therethrough. WVhen the plug 16 is passed through the pipe 45 thedriving motor 36 is reversed and the friction rollers 17 and 18 then actto Withdraw the mandrel bar and the plug from within the pipe 45 beingtested or drifted. When the bar 15 with the plug thereon reaches theposition shown in Fig. 2, the overhanging rear end of the bar willoverbalance the plug end thereof, so that the plug end of the bar isthrown upwardly into engagement with the anti-friction roller 43 on thisside of the housings, this roller supporting the bar during its furtherbackward movement. The above described operations are then repeated withother pipes in the manner which has been described.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart. By the use of a frictionally driven mandrel bar the pipes aredrifted without manual labor and delays occasioned by operating the barby hand are avoided.

By arranging the drifting machine in line with the coupling applyingmachine the operator for the coupling applying machine also actuates thedrifting machine which results in a'reduction in labor cost. By driftingthe pipe coincidently with the coupling applying operation the timenecessary to put on a coupling and drift the pipe is lessened. Theapparatus is simple and easil and quickly operated and does not requirefrequent repairs.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of parts may be madewithout departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

l. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, apipe support having means to prevent lengthwise movement of a. weldedpipe or tube supported thereon, a mandrel bar in lengthwise alinementwith a pipe or tube on said support, said mandrel bar having a driftingball or plug on the end thereof, and means for reciprocating saidmandrel bar and thereby passing said ball or plug through the pipe onsaid support.

2. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, apipe support having means to prevent lengthwise movement of a weldedpipe or tube supported thereon, a mandrel bar in lengthwise alinementwith a pipe or tube on said support, said mandrel bar havinga,y driftingball or plug detachably secured on the end thereof, and means forreciprocating said mandrel bar to pass said ball or plug through thepipe on said support.

3. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, apipe support having means to prevent lengthwise move ment of a weldedpipe or tube supported thereon, a lengthwise movable mandrel bar inalinement with a pipe or tube 0n-said support, said mandrel bar having adrifting ball or plug on the end thereof, and means for reciprocatingsaid mandrel bar to pass said ball or plug through the pipe on saidsupport, said reciprocating means comprising opposed rotating rollers infrictional engagement with the mandrel bar and means for rotating therollers.

4. Apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes comprising, in combination, apipe support having means to prevent lengthwise movement of a weldedpipe or tube supported thereon, a lengthwise movable mandrel bar inalinement with a pipe or tube on said support, said mandrel bar having adrifting ball or plug on the end thereof, and means for reciprocatingsaid mandrel bar to pass said ball or plug through the pipe on saidsupport, said reciprocating means comprising opposed rotating rollers infrictional engagement with the mandrel bar, means for yieldingly holdingsaid rollers in frictional engagement with said mandrel bar, andreversing mechanism for actuating the rollers to reciprocate the mandrelbar.

5. In apparatus for drifting pipes and tubes, the combination with acoupling screwing machine and a pipe support in axial alinement with thebarrel of said machine, of a reciprocating mandrel bar in alinement withthe barrel of said coupling screwing machine, said mandrel bar having aplug or ball in the end thereof, and means frictionally engaging withthe mandrel bar to reciprocate the bar and pass the ball or plug thereoninto and out of a pipe or tube in front of the barrel of said couplingscrewing machine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK E. HENDERSON.

Witnesses CHAs. FELL, ARTHUR R. GRoBER.

